Purple-lid recycling bins for paper and card coming to West Lindsey

Residents in West Lindsey will have a new recycling bin in the coming weeks, following suit from the likes of North Kesteven and Boston Borough in offering purple-lid clean paper and card collections.

The new bins will be delivered across the West Lindsey district between Monday, March 7 and Friday, April 1, with the first collections scheduled during the April bank holiday.

Residents currently put their paper and cardboard in the general blue recycling bin, but this is mixed with other materials such as plastic, glass and metals, meaning it can often be contaminated, reducing efficiency.

Householder packs which include all the details of the new scheme and a guide of what can and can’t be recycled are being sent to homes throughout February, in addition to the colour-coded bin calendars which were sent out in January.

The new bin will see a change to the collection schedule, with blue recycling bins now being collected every four weeks rather than fortnightly, and the purple-lidded bins will be collected in the alternate fortnight.

West Lindsey is the third local authority in Lincolnshire to roll out the new twin stream recycling collection, after successful introductions by Boston Borough Council and North Kesteven District Council, and the plans have been in place since November 2021.

It is part of a county-wide mission to offer separate card and paper collections across the whole of Lincolnshire by 2024, with it now being the turn of the likes of Gainsborough, Market Rasen and Caistor in West Lindsey.

Leader of West Lindsey District Council, Cllr Owen Bierley said: “We know that the introduction of a new recycling bin will be a change for our local residents but I hope it is a change that everyone will embrace.

“We launched our new Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy last year and so we know we need to take action now to look after our environment. This twin recycling scheme gives residents an opportunity to recycle better quality products.”

Cllr Daniel McNally, executive member for waste at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “We’ve successfully rolled out the separate paper and card bins in Boston and North Kesteven, and now we’re looking forward to working with West Lindsey to bring the purple bins to the district.

“Separating out our paper and card means we can improve the overall quality of our recycling. And, by sending it directly to a specialist processor in the UK, we’re cutting the road miles it travels and reducing carbon emissions.”